ST. PAUL, Minn. – When Vinny Lecavlier scored the lone goal in the Flyers shootout victory in Nashville the other night, he skated into the zone methodically, almost too slowly, before roofing a shot over Marek Marazec’s glove and into the net.

The assumption was that it was a savvy, veteran move by a savvy, veteran player against a rookie goalie – lulling him to sleep before snapping off a quick wrister.

It was a good story at the time, but now we need to let the facts get in the way of it.

NASHVILLE – It’s not very often that I like to toot my own horn, but I did write this blog one month ago, when the Flyers were 3-7-0, suggesting fans not panic and give up on the team just yet, and that by the time we made it to Nashville they would be 12-11-2 and in the playoff conversation.

Well, they are 11-12-2 and in the playoff conversation (they owe me one, because I definitely didn’t see that loss in Florida coming).

So, with my new found success in long-range prognostication, I figured, let’s give it another roll here and see if the Flyers can’t better their position by the end of the 2013 calendar year.

TAMPA – Since the Flyers signed Michael Raffl to a free agent contract back in May, I’ve been touting him on this blog as a legit prospect who would not only make the team out of camp but have an impact on the season.

Technically, he didn’t make the team out of camp, missing the first five games while in the AHL, nor has he had a real impact yet.

So if you say today that I was wrong, then I must say that I am guilty as charged.

However…

If you are willing to give it more time to see if, in fact, Raffl can still have a decent impact on the team this season, then I will say the verdict is still out on my assessment of him – and it should be.

SUNRISE, Fla. – When the Flyers arrive in Tampa tomorrow in preparation for their game Wednesday night against the Lightning, all the attention will be on the homecoming for Vinny Lecavalier.

Amidst all that hullaballoo, it’s a good bet that Steve Downie will steal off down the hallway to go chat with Lightning captain Martin St. Louis.

After all, it was St. Louis who Downie credits as the guy who showed him how to mature and play the right way in hockey.

“As you get older and learn the game you mature as a player,” Downie said. “When I came up with Philly, it was a tough lineup to break into but I played the role even though I didn’t get much ice. When I got traded to Tampa I was given more of an opportunity and I got to play with some great players.

“Marty helped me out a lot. When you get the opportunity to be around great players, you can’t help but get better.”

PHILADELPHIA – There was one thing that Erik Gustafsson and Luke Schenn really didn’t like about being healthy scratches a couple weeks ago.

Well, they didn’t like not being in the lineup – that’s a given. But aside from that there was one other thing that was really unpleasant.

“You have to work harder than everyone else just to get back in,” said Gustafsson, referring to the intense skating workouts that scratched players go through as they spend a good 30 minutes longer on the ice after practices than the guys in the lineup. “You don’t want to have to do that too long.”

No, you don’t, which is why Gustafsson and Schenn talked about their lot, sitting in the press box in Carolina earlier this month.

PHILADELPHIA – As much as Craig Berube has preached for his forwards to get back and help his defense, he has equally been pushing for the defense to jump up and help the offense.

While the former seemed to come together pretty quickly, the latter is still a work in progress… but it’s definitely been better.

“When I took over that was one of the things I really stressed – getting the defense involved in the rush and on breakouts and skating up ice,” Berube said. “That helps both the attack and the breakouts. When you have guys like [Mark] Streit and Kimmo [Timonen] and [Erik] Gustafsson… all of them really. It doesn’t matter how skilled you are or fast you are – get up there. When other teams see four guys coming on the rush it backs them off.”

VOORHEES, N.J. – Adam Hall has always been a go-to guy in the faceoff circle. But what he’s been doing lately has been epic.

His last 35 draws, he’s won 30 of them. Think about that a sec. He’s won 85.7 percent of his draws in the last five games.

“Sometimes you get a little streaky and you feel like you have good timing,” said Hall, not wanting to bring attention to the run. “If you find something that’s working you just try to ride it as long as you can.”

WINNIPEG, Manitoba –According to the official stat sheets, the Flyers have just 12 giveaways in their last three games. This comes on the heels of having zero in a game two weeks ago in a shutout of New Jersey.

Now, it should be pointed out that while these stats are technically official, they are incredibly subjective from arena to arena.

Nevertheless, it is certainly an indicator that the Flyers are playing smarter hockey.

PITTSBURGH – Quick… who is the only current Flyers forward to have played on all four lines this season?

I’m certain the first name to jump into your head was not Michael Raffl. And yet, he’s the answer.

Adding to his versatility resume, Raffl has also played on the power play and on the penalty kill.

Having him on the roster was one of the reasons Max Talbot became moveable in a trade for a better offensive player – because Raffl was versatile enough to do some of the things Talbot was doing for the Flyers.

And frankly, his play has been a bit surprising to everyone around the organization.